AFTER THE WAR

zeroPlus Theatre’s new production is now in development. – continuing where it left off at end of our last production ALL OUR HEROES, exploring the theme of British Empire in particular India’s relationship with Britain during and after WW1.

While ALL OUR HEROES highlighted the infamous recruitment of Indian soldiers to WW1 European campaign by methods of blackmail, bullying, incarceration and promises of greater autonomy, even independence for India, the new production – After the War – explores what happened when the war was over and surviving Indian soldiers came home…

The story will pick from the epilogue of ALL OUR HEROES

PERFORMER 1 – Over one million Indian soldiers contributed to the British Army for the First World War, out of whom 74,187 died and 67,000 were wounded..

PERFORMER 2 – Bhago (AOH character) was right… All the promises the British made about more freedom, more rights for Indians… well guess what, they were never honoured..

PERFORMER 3 – Instead.. After the war, Britain introduced the Rowlatt Act in March 1919 to control public unrest and root out conspiracy, which made conditions in India even worse for Indians…

PERFORMER 1 – In the Punjab, the protest movement against the British became more active. On 13th April, 1919 in Amritsar, people from neighbouring villages gathered for Baisakhi Day celebrations and nonviolent protests, against the arrest of two nationalist leaders.

PERFORMER 3 – On orders of General Dyer, the army was called, and the gathered crowds were fired upon. This day became known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919.

PERFORMER 1 – Some will say the Indian contribution to the First World War amounted to nothing…

PERFORMER 2 – Some will say the broken promises made Indians stronger, particularly the next generation…

In April 1919, on the 13th of the month, the day when Sikhs celebrate the most important date in their calendar – Vaisakhi, Colonel Reginald Dyer, the regional commander of British Indian Army, ordered his troops to open fire at about 2500 unarmed civilians gathered peacefully in an enclosed garden park – the Jallianwallah Bagh.

When all the ammunition of 1,650 rounds had been fired, approximately 1000 had died and over 1500 injured, (Indian National Congress figures) amongst whom were children and women, many who jumped into a well. When asked at his tribunal about his actions Dyer replied – “ because they had to be taught a lesson”.

This incident came to be known as the Jallianwallah Bagh Massacre. It stunned and angered Indians, particularly since it came six months after the end of WW1, a war in which quarter of a million young men from the region had gone to fight for Great Britain, from which 74,187 died and 76,000 came back injured.

The tightening of British attitude had came in response to wider protests against reneging of promises of greater autonomy made by British Govt to Indians for their participation in the Great War. The introduction of legislation Rowlat Act – allowed the British Govt to extend the emergency measures of preventive indefinite detention, incarceration without trial and judicial review enacted in the Defense of India Act 1915 during WW1.

After the War is aimed as a dramatic piece of performance /workshop for schools and community enterprise venues to mark 100 years since this controversial grave and tragic episode in British Empire history.

Project progress here

Image:Reproduced courtesy of the Council of the National Army Museum The following is from their catalogue: "The soldiers depicted were probably from the 25th County of London Cycle Battalion. The caption refers to an incident on 10 April 1919 in Amritsar in the Punjab. Riots had broken out that day during anti-British demonstrations and several Europeans had been killed and many buildings damaged. Around 20 Indians were shot by the Army. During the unrest, Marcella Sherwood, a Church of England missionary, was set upon by a crowd as she cycled down a narrow lane. Although badly beaten she survived, but the incident outraged British opinion and helped convince them to place most of the Punjab under martial law. In the days that followed, the British made Indian men, even those who had gone to Miss Sherwood’s aid after the attack, crawl along the street as a punishment. Three days later, thousands of unarmed protesters, as well as people out enjoying a local festival, were gathered at Jallianwala Bagh (garden) when they were fired upon without warning by Indian Army troops. Most of the people present did not know that Martial Law had been declared. The order to fire was given by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer. The official report stated that 379 people were killed and 1200 wounded, but the true figure was much higher. The massacre was a watershed in the history of British India and helped pave the way for the growth of Gandhi's independence movement."